It could be that the solar panels may be multipurpose. Perhaps they collect energy from the sun on one side but they can also radiate heat out into the universe.

Recently read something with a concept that a planet in orbit of a black hole could support life. The idea is a cold sun and warm sky where the black hole works like our evening sky while that sky actually provides the energy during the other part of the day. Now the difference appears to require some time stretching to work because the background doesn't provide a lot of energy but if an hour of time on the planet allows for years of energy exposure it could work.

Why are we bothering to try to figure out how they work? They don't, it's fiction.

Having the panels be grey on the outside makes the ship look more sleek, and they also make the Prototype a bit more visually distinct from the endless waves of TIE variations.

How does it even work?

It's already ludicrous that solar panels can provide energy for a TIE Fighter in the first place.

It's completely ludicrous that their technology could be any more advanced than ours!

Having the panels be grey on the outside makes the ship look more sleek, and they also make the Prototype a bit more visually distinct from the endless waves of TIE variations.

How does it even work?

It's already ludicrous that solar panels can provide energy for a TIE Fighter in the first place.

It's completely ludicrous that their technology could be any more advanced than ours!

THAT RIGHT THERE

That is my BIGGEST beef with so many of the fandom's technuts.

"But this doesn't work that way!"

Yeah it sure as hell doesn't with our rocks thrown at walls level of technology by comparison. These are guys that have interstellar fighters that are smaller than modern aircraft and perform twice as well if not more in atmosphere despite defying all, all of our knowledge about such things..!

I mean

Is it REALLY so hard to grasp that we just don't have the knowledge necessary to understand the technology of Star Wars yet?

Their technology is apparently advanced enough that it just flat out doesn't advance massively over several centuries. That's impressive- somewhat illogical but still. The point is...

We don't get it, and we shouldn't pretend to.

It is to us, for all intents and purposes, magic in space. But the same could be said about the Helicopter to a bunch of Templars from ye olde friggin 1100s.

To them that's just magic and they would never be able to replicate it. Ever, in their lifetime.

Come on guys. It doesn't have to make sense, because it doesn't make sense to us, because we don't understand it.

That's a healthy dose of nostalgia, now I want a TAP just to try to making a similar conversion.

@ CaptLack Haha, that made me laugh, had to read that one out right there...

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1.300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Coupled with inertial dampners and possible mass reduction technology these amounts of power might be on the order necessary for the accelerations observed, and the destructive power of the primary laser weapons when fully charged. (TIE/ln weapons are said to have seperate power generators anyway)

Maybe, MAYBE you can begin to make a case for TIE solar power. Except that these numbers only work near a sun type star (G yellow dwarf) around 1 AU distance from the primary. Around the outer planets or in deep space and power drops drastically. And forget flying on the night side of a planet. This will always be a fundamental problem with any solar/stellar energy collection. It would even lead to weapons that coat TIE panels with opaque paint to dispersing clouds that block starlight over vast areas. We do not see these tactics, and that's another strike against Solar powered TIEs.

It is still entirely possible to observe and postulate theories about tech in SW despite not having an understanding of the science of that Galaxy. We have at least a pretty good grasp on the fundamental forces of nature and the makeup of matter and such, and more, we know much about what we don't know and are desperately trying to fill the gaps of our knowledge. I would say comparing us to 18th century scholars in relation to SW tech is more apt than some random person's knowledge from 1000 years ago.

One thing to keep in mind with TIE life support (while I'm going to go with the other canon's take on it) is that even with it they at least have a backup if they go EVA. Rebels just gotta keep their faces exposed so when they get ejected into space they die.

Definitely inconsistent with the Rogue Squadron novels, but given what we've actually seen in films, well...

SW clearly has large open forcefields that are reliable enough tech that can prevent atmo from leaking in or out.

Such technology is not even far-fatched. Plasma windows are used in modern scientific applications already - they can keep up to 7 bars pressure on side and vacuum on the other. Power hungry, though - but chump change in the SW universe.

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Coupled with inertial dampners and possible mass reduction technology these amounts of power might be on the order necessary for the accelerations observed, and the destructive power of the primary laser weapons when fully charged. (TIE/ln weapons are said to have seperate power generators anyway)

Maybe, MAYBE you can begin to make a case for TIE solar power. Except that these numbers only work near a sun type star (G yellow dwarf) around 1 AU distance from the primary. Around the outer planets or in deep space and power drops drastically. And forget flying on the night side of a planet. This will always be a fundamental problem with any solar/stellar energy collection. It would even lead to weapons that coat TIE panels with opaque paint to dispersing clouds that block starlight over vast areas. We do not see these tactics, and that's another strike against Solar powered TIEs.

It is still entirely possible to observe and postulate theories about tech in SW despite not having an understanding of the science of that Galaxy. We have at least a pretty good grasp on the fundamental forces of nature and the makeup of matter and such, and more, we know much about what we don't know and are desperately trying to fill the gaps of our knowledge. I would say comparing us to 18th century scholars in relation to SW tech is more apt than some random person's knowledge from 1000 years ago.

At the risk of injecting real life physics into a wizards with lazer swords in space movie...

If you want the TIE Fighter to somehow run on the power of a sun, the "wings" could simply be scoops for picking up charged particles from the solar wind or local Van Allen Belts, coupled with a hefty Bussard ramscoop (these could be channelled directly for thrust). Depending on conditions, you could even harvest a decent amount of antimatter from a planet's Van Allen belt. Note that we have these panels on the Raider too, implying that they do scale up at least to Corvette size.

Mass Effect does exactly the same thing as you mention, lowering inertial mass so you can fly your frigate like it was some kind of fighter. I would say that this is how a lot of Star Wars tech works, which allows for reasonable engine sizes and maybe even photovoltaic TIEs

It is a misconception that technology must advance. Scientific knowledge doesn't automatically become better given time, sometimes one faulty idea is just replaced by another - did Ptolemy's view on astronomy really improve on Plato's view? It is possible that in Star Wars, a certain paradigm, a central theory, had been dominant for centuries and never radically changed. All that could be done was 'fill in the blanks', like a medieval astronomer would calculate the path of a planet and make some corrections based on new observations, without actually changing Ptolemy's basic idea. Clearly, this is not an environment that will lead to a lot of technological innovation.

Such stagnation can even lead to technology becoming worse. I think something like that happened in Chinese mapmaking, where a useful system of coordinates was invented, but then gradually became restrictive as mapmakers filled in the squares rather than use them to draw more precise maps.

Lingula, you just summarized technology in 40k.

It does apply to star wars, but not quite as much.

"Heat exchange matrix"

Doesn't it mean that it is both a solar panel and a heat sink?

(It's not like a radiator in space would make much more sense than a solar panel)

Anyone remember the mechwarrior 2 mercenaries missions set on an asteroid?

The heatsinks. They do nothing!

Best way I can see of getting rid of heat is using it to power weapons i'd think.

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Coupled with inertial dampners and possible mass reduction technology these amounts of power might be on the order necessary for the accelerations observed, and the destructive power of the primary laser weapons when fully charged. (TIE/ln weapons are said to have seperate power generators anyway)

Maybe, MAYBE you can begin to make a case for TIE solar power. Except that these numbers only work near a sun type star (G yellow dwarf) around 1 AU distance from the primary. Around the outer planets or in deep space and power drops drastically. And forget flying on the night side of a planet. This will always be a fundamental problem with any solar/stellar energy collection. It would even lead to weapons that coat TIE panels with opaque paint to dispersing clouds that block starlight over vast areas. We do not see these tactics, and that's another strike against Solar powered TIEs.

It is still entirely possible to observe and postulate theories about tech in SW despite not having an understanding of the science of that Galaxy. We have at least a pretty good grasp on the fundamental forces of nature and the makeup of matter and such, and more, we know much about what we don't know and are desperately trying to fill the gaps of our knowledge. I would say comparing us to 18th century scholars in relation to SW tech is more apt than some random person's knowledge from 1000 years ago.

At the risk of injecting real life physics into a wizards with lazer swords in space movie...

If you want the TIE Fighter to somehow run on the power of a sun, the "wings" could simply be scoops for picking up charged particles from the solar wind or local Van Allen Belts, coupled with a hefty Bussard ramscoop (these could be channelled directly for thrust). Depending on conditions, you could even harvest a decent amount of antimatter from a planet's Van Allen belt. Note that we have these panels on the Raider too, implying that they do scale up at least to Corvette size.

Mass Effect does exactly the same thing as you mention, lowering inertial mass so you can fly your frigate like it was some kind of fighter. I would say that this is how a lot of Star Wars tech works, which allows for reasonable engine sizes and maybe even photovoltaic TIEs

We on earth have yet to conceive of a ramscoop design that could collect enough material for sustained fusion and actually allow for forward accelleration. What did emerge from those designs were magnetic braking tech that could help with deceleration at a target star for slower than light real world starships.

Of course in Star Wars a Bussard-like scoop could suck up all kinds of particles to power who knows what kinds of reactors and engines. I still doubt that's what the TIE wings are for though.

"Heat exchange matrix"

Doesn't it mean that it is both a solar panel and a heat sink?

(It's not like a radiator in space would make much more sense than a solar panel)

It depends on the design of the radiator. If the reactors on a TIE are so super powerful then large radiators are a must, if the waste heat can be converted to a type of radiation that is easy to emit in a vacuum. SPACE MAGIC.

You can always paint solar panels....

Maybe, MAYBE you can begin to make a case for TIE solar power.

Or I could, just, you know, point to the dozens of canon sources on the issue, including the most recent one, that call them solar panels and end my case there. Since it's fictional, and whatever they say it is, it is.

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Just for the record: 1300 kW = 1.3 MW; 130,000 kW = 130 MW

actually the official material on the TIE Adv. Prototype v1 says that because the panels are so small, it requires actual fuel. which make the "TIE fighters use rechargeable power cells" idea put forward here rather likely. (though it also makes you wonder what it's using for Reaction mass in those ion engines)

so the v1's apparently are more like the Rebellions fighters in this regard, having fuel tanks that have to be topped up after so many flights.

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Just for the record: 1300 kW = 1.3 MW; 130,000 kW = 130 MW

actually the official material on the TIE Adv. Prototype v1 says that because the panels are so small, it requires actual fuel. which make the "TIE fighters use rechargeable power cells" idea put forward here rather likely. (though it also makes you wonder what it's using for Reaction mass in those ion engines)

so the v1's apparently are more like the Rebellions fighters in this regard, having fuel tanks that have to be topped up after so many flights.

They would use propellant as reaction mass, probably xenon or some other noble gas. Fuel is for reactors or engines that provide power for stuff, separate from the thrusters. I suppose the official view now is that TIEs normally charge up some kind of batteries or fuel cells with their panels or the wings power the ion thrusters directly.

Yeah ludicrous that our modern day solar panels have an effiency rating of 17-20% and only capture the red spectrum. Hard to imagine anyone capturing 90+% and up through multilayer capture and having batteries to store it. Just crazy. Next people might think solar panel film that can wrap around objects and is printed out of an industrial printer is possible.

Real Alexander graham bell we got here...lol

Having the panels be grey on the outside makes the ship look more sleek, and they also make the Prototype a bit more visually distinct from the endless waves of TIE variations.

How does it even work?

It's already ludicrous that solar panels can provide energy for a TIE Fighter in the first place.

Well it says in every source I have seen that the engery collected by the solar pannels is used only to cause reactions in the tie reacto Its the energy from the reactor that powers everything on the TIEs except the cannons. The cannons have their own indivdual generators. A

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Just for the record: 1300 kW = 1.3 MW; 130,000 kW = 130 MW

Sorry. That should have been 1.300 kW. Or 1300 W. per square meter.

Also, two things we know for certain:

1. TIE panels aren't square.

2. The empire uses imperial measurements.

Yeah ludicrous that our modern day solar panels have an effiency rating of 17-20% and only capture the red spectrum. Hard to imagine anyone capturing 90+% and up through multilayer capture and having batteries to store it. Just crazy. Next people might think solar panel film that can wrap around objects and is printed out of an industrial printer is possible.

Real Alexander graham bell we got here...lol

Having the panels be grey on the outside makes the ship look more sleek, and they also make the Prototype a bit more visually distinct from the endless waves of TIE variations.

How does it even work?

It's already ludicrous that solar panels can provide energy for a TIE Fighter in the first place.

Well it says in every source I have seen that the engery collected by the solar pannels is used only to cause reactions in the tie reacto Its the energy from the reactor that powers everything on the TIEs except the cannons. The cannons have their own indivdual generators. A

Then it's ludicrous to have such a huge part of a star fighter to just act as an ignition switch. I wonder what energies are being collected if they are catalyzing reactions.

The original T.I.E. developed in the Old Republic did not have a separate generator for the lasers and would lose firepower when maneuvering. Shoddy design if you ask me.

Solar flux at 1 AU in this star system is approx 1300 kW per m^2. Surface area of one side of one wing of a standard TIE Fighter is approx 100 m^2. Assuming 100% effeciency since this is space magic, you got 130,000 kW or 0.13 megawatts generated by one side of one panel. If crenalations and 'waffling' increase the surface area by an order of magnitude or two, you are in the Megawatt range. (More space magic)

Just for the record: 1300 kW = 1.3 MW; 130,000 kW = 130 MW

Sorry. That should have been 1.300 kW. Or 1300 W. per square meter.

Also, two things we know for certain:

1. TIE panels aren't square.

2. The empire uses imperial measurements.

sorry, couldn't resist.

TIE droid star fighters have very rectangular panels, should be much easier to calculate square feet. If you are into such things.

(Yes I must ruin everything by commenting like I'm oblivious to the funny)